Mind your step

Please note: This post contains graphic descriptions of land-mine victims.

I have often said that the remnants of the war in Vietnam are very ghost-like, lurking in the background and every now and then jumping out at you in obvious flashes. I think the most horrifying reminder are the victims of land-mines. They are not an uncommon sight, some are older men shuffling along with a limb missing or part of their arm burnt away. There are special bikes/wheelchairs that are worked on a kind of pump-action with the steering wheel that some of the amputees ride around in. There are women with milky white eyes and burnt faces who beg on the side of the street. Probably the most upsetting case that Kim and I saw was in Cambodia. We were at one of the temples and we could see a figure hopping after tourists, and kind of hobbling on one leg with her head on a crooked angle. We went down another path to see the sights and it wasn't until we were on our way out and she approached me directly that I took in the full sight of her. She was probably about 15 or 16 years old. She was very badly burned around her face and scalp, half of the hair on her head was gone and her face was melted and covered in open sores some weeping down her neck. Her left leg was also badly burned and largely useless. She could not properly speak so she grunted at me and I gave her what Cambodian money I had with me which unfortunately wasn't very much. Neither Kim nor I starred at her or disrespected her in any way but I know that the look on my face when I first saw her must have been awful, I feel really badly about that. While we were in Cambodia we noticed that there was a program for Land Mine victims that trained them to play traditional instruments in orchestras that perform for tourists by donation at the temples. There are similar programs in Vietnam based on marble carving, embroidery, textile arts, food service, and more. However the number of disfigured people you see here on the streets is disconcerting.

I am not writing this for shock value. I genuinely hope that if you find yourself in a conversation with anyone extolling the military virtues of land mines you will remember what I have written. Children and civilians are victims here and it seems many of them are farmers. Also please take the time to sign any anti-landmine petitions or attend any rallies you hear about.
Here are two websites you can check out to learn more:
International Campaign to Ban Landmines
and
Stop Landmines.Org

Photo Dump

Kim making a new friend in Mui Ne.

This is Holly. Holly was thrust into the arms of Ms. Anna, one of the teachers at CIS, outside of Hollywood gym by a security guard and he refused to take her back. She is a cutie, very friendly and she is also very lucky. Ms. Anna, her new owner, is an animal lover extraordinaire, she rescues animals on a regular basis and volunteers at a local animal clinic.

ELEPHANT! This was taken at Siem Reap as we raced past in our tuk-tuk.

Statue of Buddha at Angkor Wat near the lepper King terrace. Buddha's lips are stained pink, not sure why. Perhaps he is full-time fancy like Kim?

Sassy pants does Angkor Wat. :)

We are taking the road less followed...

Some Highlights

We have been taking a lot of pictures but haven't really had the the time to sit down and post them to the internet. Our connection in the apartment is slow like dial-up. The first image was taken in Mui Ne and the rest were taken during our time in Siem Reap and Angkor Wat.

We will post more images soon!

The kindness of strangers

Kim pretty much covered the accident but I just wanted to mention how incredible the people around us were. When we stood up in the ditch and started to move around passing vehicles had already pulled over to the side of the road and there were people there immediately to pull us up out of the ditch. A beautiful South Asian woman approached me and told me she was a doctor and she got some antiseptic from her car and started tending to my ear. Another woman with curly hair grabbed my hand and held it to steady me. When Kim laid down on the grass another woman stayed with her and cleaned her face of the red mud. None of these people were paramedics or employed in anyway in rescue work they were tourist like us who happened by. I am always going to be humbled and thankful for their assistace.

Siem Reap

We are now in Siem Reap the town near the archaeological ruins of Angkor Wat. It took us a fourteen hour bus ride to get here which we were told would only last eleven. Our hotel was supposed to pick us up but there was no one to meet us so we made friends with a tuk-tuk driver named Lucky and he took us to where we needed to be. He is also going to act as our tour guide today and tomorrow.

Yesterday morning when we arrived at the hostel where our bus was leaving from we were greeted by quite the sight. There was a group of drunken Irishmen, one of whom was wearing nothing but a pillow. Considering it was 7 a.m. it was unexpected. There was much hilarity as he danced around trying to get dressed. We politely averted our gaze as he dressed himself. When he approached us he had his shirt on inside out and backwards. He asked the woman at the desk to help him adjust his shirt and she chased him with scissors. Hilarity.

In other news: computers hate me.